Julian Love May Be Biggest Benefactor From Seattle Seahawks Re-Tooled Secondary

A gadget defensive back who has played four different positions in the NFL, Julian Love may finally get to specialize at where he performs at his best for the Seahawks.

Dec 18, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) celebrates on the bench after his second interception of the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

While the Seattle Seahawks secondary wasn’t considered a major weakness entering this offseason compared to the trenches on both sides of the ball, general manager John Schneider and new coach Mike Macdonald addressed it. Then they addressed it again.

Over the past couple of months, Seattle spent two draft picks on a pair of Auburn cornerbacks in DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett and signed two free agent safeties in Rayshawn Jenkins and K’Von Wallace, helping replace departed former starters Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, who were cap casualties in early March.

Though initially strange, particularly using two draft choices at cornerback after picking Devon Witherspoon fifth overall a year ago to go with Pro Bowler Riq Woolen, the transactions bolstered Seattle’s positional depth on the back end of the defense for Macdonald and his staff to experiment with.

Thinking big picture, Seahawks safety Julian Love may be the biggest benefactor from the signings. Love, who was signed away from the New York Giants in free agency ahead of the 2023–24 season, should now be able to find a comfortable — and consistent — home at free safety while occasionally still dropping down into the box.

Nov 12, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) tackles Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson (24) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football Focus graded Love as the 13th-best coverage safety in 2023 (80.4 grade), while the sixth-year pro logged the 36th most coverage snaps (545). He finished with career highs in interceptions (4) and pass break-ups (6) in his first season with Seattle, which fueled his selection as a first-time Pro Bowler.

At the same time, Love was targeted 58 times in coverage and allowed 556 yards — both bottom-10 in the NFL, per PFF. He seemingly struggled early in the season before bouncing back in the latter half, which may have had to do with where the previous staff played him position-wise.

Love lined up in the box on 312 snaps in 2023, the most in his career to this point. Conversely, he was slotted at free safety on 386 snaps for nearly a 50/50 split, which was mostly because Diggs was Seattle’s primary free safety and Adams played in just nine games due to lingering knee problems. It was all about getting the best talent on the field for Seattle’s defense, even if it wasn't necessarily his best fit individually.

Now, with Seattle shoring up the cornerback room and acquiring versatile safeties with positional flexibility in Wallace and Jenkins, Love should see a similar number of snaps at free safety that he did with the Giants in 2022, when he played close to 600 snaps at the position.

That year, Love recorded a career-high 91 total tackles and 35 defensive stops, per PFF. Statistics aside, free safety is clearly where Love has been coveted as a defensive talent by his coaches and evaluators, despite having the physical attributes of a strong safety and past experience playing outside and slot cornerback dating back to college at Notre Dame.

Love had three games last season where he played at least 30 snaps at free safety and less than 20 in the box (versus Tennessee, Carolina and week 12 versus San Francisco). In those games, he allowed just 30 yards on 11 targets and broke up three passes, playing at his best in his preferred position that he should now reside full-time at in Macdonald's scheme.

Next to Love, Jenkins, who has played a majority of his defensive snaps in the box over the last four seasons, is the likely starter at strong safety with more of a penchant for dishing punishment in the box and handling big tight ends in coverage. He also can play in two-deep sets in coverage.

Wallace, like Love, is also a hybrid safety, allowing him to insert at either position. Jerrick Reed II, a 2023 sixth-round pick out of the University of New Mexico, is returning from a torn ACL he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams in November and depending on his recovery timeline, he could throw his helmet in the ring for snaps as well.

Additionally, Coby Bryant remains a candidate to receive safety snaps in some capacity with the Seahawks’ now-loaded cornerback room, providing an intriguing competition to keep an eye on as training camp approaches and OTAs wind down.

With the re-tooled secondary — and safety room, particularly — expect to see Love back in his comfort zone far more regularly for the Seahawks. If he can replicate his production from the second half of 2023 for a full season, he should have a key role in helping turn the defense around quickly and a big payday could be in store when he becomes a free agent next March.